


The Intern

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-12
Updated: 2007-08-12
Packaged: 2019-01-19 22:14:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12419340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: Not totally DH compatible. Hermione has been out of Hogwarts for three years and begins a potions internship at the Ministry of Magic…under Severus Snape. HG/SS, and a little HG/RW. Rated M for sexual content in later chapters.





	1. How It Began

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

**Chapter One: How It Began**

_Well, here I am… I’ve already survived a week of this, and I hope I can get through the other fifty-one that await me_ , Hermione thought to herself as she placed boiled eye of bat onto the 'B' shelf, carefully, so her advisor would not bark at her again. Just two days ago she had dropped a jar of poisoned dragon's liver. Which went sprawling all over the floor, ruined forever, she was yelled at for an hour while she cried silently, wiping up the contents with a rag. She worked as swiftly and silently as she could so that she could get out of the lab and back home without speaking to her boss.

Hermione had been so excited when she found out that she had gotten the yearlong Potions internship position at the Ministry of Magic. She had spent all summer preparing to leave her parents’ house, ready to move into a flat in London. What she hadn’t known though was whom she was to work under.

The day before her job started, she couldn't hold down her anticipation. Then the fateful day came. She Apparated to the visitors’ entrance of the Ministry of Magic, walked into the red phone booth, pressed 62442, and a cool female voice answered, “Name and purpose of visitation, please.”

“Uh… um… Hermione Granger. Ministry’s Summer Potions Intern,” she stuttered into the mouthpiece. A badge then shot out of the slot where money usually appeared with the inscription, "HERMIONE GRANGER. POTIONS INTERN".

She pinned the badge to the front of her cloak and felt the booth begin to rumble. It had been five years since she had last taken this way into the Ministry, and she waited anxiously as the booth began to lower into the ground. When it finally stopped, she stepped out and glanced around the very large atrium that she had remembered from her first visit there in fifth year.

It had not changed much, except that the name “Kingsley Shacklebolt” was everywhere instead of Fudge or Scrimgeour. Hermione was happy with the new Minister because not only was he a man that she could trust, he was the main reason she had gotten this internship in the first place. Kingsley had owled her one day with the suggestion that she accept the position, seeing as she had had the highest scores in potions in her year. She had accepted happily, knowing that it would be a great experience to work under an expert Potions master. It had never occurred to Hermione to ask whom she was to work under, because she had thought it wouldn’t matter.

She walked into the main area of the entrance hall and spotted an information desk on her right. She strolled over to the counter and asked the elderly witch behind it where she was to go.

“Ah, the Potions intern. The Minister wants to speak to you first before you go to your duties, you will go to his office directly. Take the elevator to the twentieth floor and walk straight down the corridor until you reach a golden door. Knock eight times and then state your name. Do this exactly, or else a security wizard will hit you with a petrifying spell and you will not be awoken for at least three months. Understand?” the old witch stated.

“Um, yes. Of course,” Hermione muttered as she walked away from the counter.

She moved over to the end of the hall where she waited for the next elevator to appear. As she stood there, she felt a small shiver come over her body, one that gave her the feeling that someone was watching her. She turned around suddenly, only to find that no one was looking at her, and the only people there were busy witches and wizards bustling all around.

“Oh, god… It's just all in my head,” she said to herself. She realized she was wrong as she heard a familiar voice right behind her.

“Alone today, Ms. Granger?” said the familiar voice.

Hermione turned around to find no one there.

“Harry? Harry, where are you? I know you are under your cloak!” she said softly as she reached out to feel around for him.

“If you can find me then I’ll tell you,” he said jokingly.

She groped the air more violently until she felt solidness. She grabbed at the cloak and pulled it off of Harry’s body.

“Now there you are, you bloody idiot,” she said as she embraced him powerfully. “I’ve missed you so much. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, Harry,” she murmured as a tear ran down her face.

“I’ve missed you too Hermione,” he said as he embraced her in return.

They held this pose for what seemed to Hermione like hours, but in reality was only a couple minutes. When they stepped apart, Hermione noticed that the elevator had arrived.

“Uh, well… I don’t want to keep it waiting, Harry. Um, owl me? Please? We can catch up on old times, and you can tell me what you and Ronald have been doing,” she said as she backed up into the elevator. “I have to go now, but we’ll talk, huh? Right. See you later.”

“Good-bye,” Harry simply said as he watched the doors close on the elevator.

As the elevator went up into the Ministry of Magic, Hermione stood back against the wall, thinking rapidly about the event that had just taken place. She hadn’t spoken to Harry or Ron for two years. After Voldermort’s defeat, Hermione and Ron had finally gotten together like she had always wanted, but she realized some time later that what you want isn’t always the best thing. (Flow, became to repetitive)

Ron had become a successful Quidditch player for the Chudley Cannons, just as he had always wanted. But along with fame came temptation, and Ron couldn’t control himself among his pretty array of female spectators. Hermione had suspected him to be unfaithful, but kept quiet about her suspicions because she didn’t want to be right.

One day she had gotten back early from work to surprise Ron with a one-year anniversary dinner, only to find him in bed with an attractive blonde girl... most likely underage. It had taken only that to convince Hermione that was the end of their relationship.

Hermione was broken-hearted and slightly bitter towards the idea of love after that. She had thought that she could turn to Harry in her moment of sadness, but he wouldn’t choose a side. She figured that if her best friend couldn’t even see that Ron was wrong, she didn’t need either of them anymore.

She severed ties with them and went on with life, trying to console herself with other friends, such as Luna and Ginny. But Ginny had married Harry, and Luna had married Neville, so they were busy with their own lives, while Hermione was just waiting. She was waiting for something miraculous to happen, and this internship was exactly what she needed.

Before she knew it, she had reached the twentieth level and stepped out of the elevator into the hall. It was a beautiful passage painted gold and jade (removed with), and at the end of the corridor, there was the golden door that the aged witch had spoken of.

Hermione walked down the hallway, which took awhile, seeing as it was very long. She finally reached the door and knocked eight times then recited her name.

Immediately, a door to her left appeared right out of the wall. It was taller and more elegant than the golden door. It opened, and she heard a deep voice tell her to enter.

She stepped into the Minister’s office and looked around, it was nothing special. It looked like any other office in the building, except it had more pictures on the walls and a huge window overlooking the city of London.

“You asked for me, Mr. Shacklebolt?” Hermione said to the tall, black man standing by the window.

“Yes, I did, Hermione. He replied, "and you must not be so formal with me; we are old friends please sit.”

Hermione took a seat in the big, red chair in front of Kingsley’s desk. The chair was comfortable and seemed to mold to her figure. She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed into it more.

“So, you must be wondering why I have called you here first, instead of letting you go straight to work. Well the answer is simple. I must prepare you for what you are about to experience, Ms. Granger,” he said in a more serious tone.

“What do you mean, Kingsley? Prepare myself for what? I thought I was just going to be interning in the Potions area,” she asked him.

Kingsley was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

“I am surprised you haven't asked whom you were to work under, Hermione. Anyone else would’ve been interested to know. But you did not ask. Why is that?” he  
inquired.

“Well, I didn’t think it mattered. Anyone would be fine, I suppose. Besides, I didn’t think I’d have known who it was anyways,” she answered.

“Hmm. Interesting,” Kingsley responded. “Well it doesn’t matter now. Do you wish to know whom you are going to be working under?”

“Well, I kind of wanted it to be a surprise. Why does it matter so much that I know, Minister?”

“It matters because I don’t think you would’ve taken the position if you had known beforehand,” he answered.

“But it doesn’t matter to me who I work under! As long as I am learning from a great Potions master, then what does it make a difference? I don’t see why we must have this conversation!” she exclaimed.

“I guess you are right." Kingsley said in a calm tone. "But I shall tell you that if you wish to stop this apprenticeship at anytime, just owl me, and it will be worked out, OK?"

“OK, I shall. Uh, thanks for this meeting minister,” Hermione said as she got up to leave.

“Anytime,” the Minister replied.

Hermione left the room and walked back down the corridor to the elevator. She took it back to the entrance-level floor and stepped out into the foyer. She went back to the information desk and asked the same witch where she was to go for the internship.

“Take the elevator down to the Department of Mysteries and walk to the left until you see a door marked “Potions Laboratories.” That’ll take you precisely to where you need to be, and, honey… Good luck,” she grumbled.

“Thanks,” Hermione said before she raced to the elevator again.

She took the elevator down to the department of mysteries, just as she had in her fifth year at Hogwarts. She stepped out into the cool, stony passageway and shivered. She turned to the left and started to walk down the chilly corridor until she reached the door she had been told about.

She opened it slowly, keeping in mind what Kingsley had warned her about. She could hear his voice in her head warning her, but she tried to ignore it. She stepped inside the door, only to find that there was another long hallway inside. She closed the door quietly behind her and looked around. It reminded her very much of the dungeons of Hogwarts.

She started down the passageway until she came to another door to her left. It was open, and she peered around the corner to the inside. Something in her stomach dropped as she looked at the scene. It wasn’t the excess of fumes or the dangerous chemicals that she recognized. It was the person who was occupying the room… Severus Snape.

She quickly pulled her head back from the doorway.

“Bloody hell!” she muttered under her breath. She glanced around the corner again into the room and then pulled her head back.

She saw her old professor from Hogwarts standing there. Snape. The one Harry and Ron had always hated, but the one she had always admired for how brilliant he was. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Kingsley wasn’t joking about this. She should’ve asked in advance whom she was to work under.

Her stomach dropped to a depth that she didn’t think was possible. She felt an odd sensation take over her body, though she didn’t know why. Random, unrelated thoughts were running through her head. She couldn’t interpret them though, because nothing made sense in that solitary moment. Everything was a blur as she tried to pull herself together again.

She glimpsed around the corner once more to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. They weren’t. There was the man who had tricked Voldemort and helped Harry defeat him. This man was brave and honorable, but still hated by many.

She stood there against the wall for a couple more minutes thinking things over until she heard a voice call out to her.

“Ms. Granger, you may wish to come in, as waiting out there all day won't make this job any better,” Severus Snape said in his drawling voice.

Hermione obeyed and entered the room.


	2. The First Day

**Chapter Two: The First Day**

Hermione walked into a circular room where Snape stood in the center. Despite being surrounded with fumes and glass tubes, she could still see him.

“Come closer, Ms. Granger. I don’t bite. I am not a vampire, despite what all you students used to think,” he said as he poured a liquid from one vial to another.

“I was smarter than the other students, Professor Snape. Surely you knew that?” she replied pointedly.

He walked out from behind the curtain of smoke and strode to his desk. He took a seat behind it and beckoned Hermione to come closer. She sat down in the chair opposite his and set her bag down next to it.

“There is no need to call me Professor, Ms. Granger, seeing that I am not your teacher anymore. I am merely your adviser and guide during this time. You shall watch what I do, and imitate in hopes that one day you will take over this post,” he said to her.

“Sir?” Hermione said with uncertainty, “Am I to understand that I am to take over your job when you retire? I didn’t think that that was the purpose of this apprenticeship, I thought I was just here to learn what I could from you, not become your successor.”

“Well, you don’t have to do anything you don’t wish to do. Since some seem to think you are actually intelligent and not just an insufferable know-it-all, then it would only be logical for you to head this department when I am gone.” he spoke as though he was annoyed.

“Gone sir? What do you mean gone? You must have many more years to live I’d think. Why should you not continue a job that you are so good at, and that no one can compare to?” she questioned him, purposely ignoring the jibe he had made at her.

“Ms. Granger, you asking pointless questions won’t make this year go by any faster. Please refrain from opening your mouth more times than needed, even though I know that is a very hard task for you. If you must know some truth, than know that there are still many people out there that don’t trust me, even after the _amazing_ Harry Potter cleared my name. So I will do this job for one last year, and then retire into solitude where I won’t be bothered any longer. Understand?” he asked contemptuously.

Hermione stared at him for a moment before she nodded in agreement.

“Good, now you may start your duties. Basically, you will do what I tell you and fetch me things when I need them. Fail to do this and you will not be happy. Now first you shall organize all the potions supplies in those cupboards, “he pointed,” in reverse alphabetical order. I regret to say that they have been getting more and more disorganized over the years and I do not have the time to do it myself,” he said.

“But sir, why reverse alphabetical order? Surely the proper way to do it would be to-” she was interrupted.

“I would like you to do it the way that I asked, and without complaint Ms. Granger. Even though your school days are long over, you still don’t realize the fact that your ideas are void to me. Everything will be done my way, and my way alone. I don’t need some incompetent, inexperienced witch telling me what is proper and what is not. If you keep this up Ms. Granger then we are going to have a problem. Are you able to comprehend what I have said?” he added with a glare.

“Yes, sir.” Hermione muttered through clenched teeth.

She set to work right away. The unnerving tension in the room was so palpable that it was smothering. She couldn’t stand to work that way, but she must if she wanted to complete the job properly. She started rummaging through the potion bottles and struggled to find one labeled with a “Z”.

Two hours had gone by before Hermione had finally finished the “Z” shelf. She wiped the sweat off her brow and sighed. She looked around for a chair to sit and rest in, but much to her displeasure, the closest chair to her was one right beside Snape.

She looked over to where Snape was standing. He was measuring out two vials of a strange looking liquid that she had never seen before. Snape seemed to know that she was watching him, because he began to speak.

“Now that you’ve finally finished the first shelf, you may start working on the next one if you please. The “Y” shelf, if you’ve already forgotten what letter comes before Z.,” he said with a taunting manner in his voice.

Hermione didn’t appreciate the snide remark and reacted aggressively.

“Is this how it’s going to be, Sir? Are you going to be rude to me this entire year? The Minister has told me that if at anytime I am unhappy with what is going on, to owl him and request to drop out of this program. I will gladly take him up on his offer if this is what I am going to have to be dealing with everyday.”

“No!” he snarled, “You must not do that.”

“And why not?” she huffed.

“Beca-because you can’t! You mustn’t leave, not until you have learned.” He bellowed.

“Learned what sir? I don’t know what could be important enough to make me stay and be abused in this way,”she asked, confused by the urgency in his voice.

“I have things to teach you, things that you will learn in due time, as soon as I know I can trust you. Stay… please.” The ‘please’ was barely audible,and when he said it, a slight embarrassed flush rose on his cheeks. There was a strange, yet wonderful, sincerity to his voice that Hermione had never experienced before now. He sounded almost as if he was pleading. He looked down at the floor - and away from Hermione’s face. She wished he would look at her, but to her great frustration, he didn’t. They stood there in silence for a couple minutes before Hermione finally spoke.

“I will stay, Sir, for the time being. But know this, if you keep on mistreating me, then I will leave, with or without what you have to teach me. I am not the little schoolgirl that I once was. I have grown up and now can defend myself now.”

Snape looked up at her, but only for a moment. He took what she said to mind _. She isn’t a little girl anymore; she is a young woman, and a lot different from her schooldays_ , he thought to himself, but he quickly removed that thought from his head. _It’s not right to think that way, you old fool, think of other things._

“Do we have an understanding?” Hermione said as she held out her hand for the man to shake.

He didn’t take her hand, but merely said, “That will do, Ms. Granger. Please continue with the organizing.”

He strode back over to the table with the chemicals and got straight to work without a word. Hermione walked back over to the cupboards and began to search through the mess of ingredients for one starting with a “Y”. She picked up one labeled “Young Blood of a Werewolf” and felt compelled to ask Snape why this would be under “Y” instead of “W” for Werewolf, but decided against it, seeing that she didn’t want to raise another fight.

Another four hours passed and Hermione looked at her watch only to see that it was finally six o’clock and time to leave. She looked over in Snape’s general direction and saw that he was sitting at his desk writing something down. She started towards the desk and passed the table that Snape was working at earlier.

On the worktable she saw papers scattered everywhere and leaned down to look at some. All the papers were written out in some kind of code she could not understand. She looked even closer. These were not ancient runes; they were something different, a secret code that Snape seemingly developed for himself.

Sehsiw rurotmeh tegn ahcd natifo stnemel eeht evome rotwoh tuoerug ifts ujewf ilortn ocylisa edluoc ewt ahter utanfon isahcus otdetc ejbus ebewdki uhsyhw osev omy revyru rslortn ocna intn aron gioselp oeper ayhw…

She picked up the paper and stuffed it quickly into her pocket. She wanted to decode it at home. She kept on walking over to Snape’s desk so she could retrieve her bag. When she got there, she saw that Snape was writing down more of his code. She couldn’t help herself, so she began to speak.

“Sir, if it is not being too bold, may I ask what is that you are writing, and what the potion is that you are working so steadfastly on?”

“That is none of your business, Ms. Granger. Now, return to here tomorrow morning at 10:00am. You may leave now, Ms. Granger, and before you do, you may want to put that paper that you stole back, or I may have to press charges, and that’s a lot of tedious paperwork that I don’t enjoy doing. Good night,” he said quite drearily, without looking up at her.

Hermione quickly pulled the paper out of her pocket and set it down on Snape’s desk. She then picked up her bag and rushed out of the room without a word.

Snape smirked slightly to himself. _That should teach the little know-it-all not to steal from me again,_ he thought.

Hermione ran through the corridors and into the elevator before it closed on her. She stuffed into it with seven other grumpy looking wizards. They all eyed her suggestively. Hermione, feeling uncomfortable, squirmed a little and kept her head down. At level one, all of them got out, _Thank God_ , she thought to herself when she was alone again. The elevator then stopped again at level two, and to her surprise, Harry got on.

“’Lo Hermione. How was your day?” he asked politely.

“Er…Let’s just say it was, -awkward.” She replied. She decided not to tell him about her potions internship just yet.

“Interesting. Why are you here today, anyway? I forgot to ask earlier.”

“No real reason, just catching up with some people, you know. That sort of thing. Why are you here?” she said all the while trying to sound genuine.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m the Head of the Auror’s Department. Kingsley saw promise in me after the war, and he offered me the job about a year ago. Can you believe it? I am the youngest ever to head the department.” he exclaimed!

“Well of course you’d get it, Harry, especially after you were the one to defeat Voldemort. No one else is more worthy of the job,” she told him sincerely.

“Thanks. Well uh, I’ve been thinking a lot today. Do you want to maybe come over for dinner tonight? Ginny has finally gotten the whole cooking thing down and is making something really nice for supper. And I’m very sure that she would love to see you after all this time.”

“Of course I’d like to come, Harry,”she said, though she felt slightly unsure.

“That’s great! Then follow me,” he said, as he walked out of the elevator and into the atrium.

Hermione followed him. They walked passed the Fountain of Magical Brethren, that had been rebuilt last year, and Hermione looked at her reflection in the water. It was hard to distinguish, but she could see that her face had lost a lot of the happiness that it once had a couple of years ago. Life was lonely now, and without her old companions, she felt emptier inside than ever.

She kept on following Harry until they reached one of the regal fireplaces in the entrance part of the atrium. Harry grabbed a handful of floo powder out of the basin on top of the hearth, and threw it into the warm fire below. Immediately the flames turned emerald green and flickered brightly.

“Hermione, I know I was wrong to not side with you before, but you could always trust me in the past, and you can still trust me now. Just take my hand and I will never betray your trust again.” Harry held out his hand to her and she looked at it suspiciously.

“Come home with me.” he added, and she could see clearly that he was genuine.

Hermione looked into his eyes and knew instantly that this was the same Harry that she’d always known and loved, and that a single mistake shouldn’t have made her react the way she did. She took his hand in hers and smiled at him.

He looked at her for a moment and then turned back towards the fireplace and said, “Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.”

Then they stepped into the fireplace together.


End file.
